Badminton Rules for Beginners: Official BWF Laws Explained

These badminton rules for beginners cover everything you need to play a fair game: how to serve, what counts as a fault, when to replay a point and which lines are in. Everything here follows the official BWF Laws of Badminton, the rulebook used by tournaments and most clubs around the world.

New to the sport? Start with our complete badminton guide for the big picture.

The basic badminton rules in 60 seconds

• Hit the shuttle over the net so it lands in your opponent's court.
• The shuttle must not touch the ground on your side; there are no bounces.
• Each side may hit the shuttle only once before it crosses the net.
• A shuttle that lands on the line is in.
• Every rally scores a point (rally scoring), and the rally winner serves next.
• A match is best of three games to 21 points under the current Laws. See how to score badminton for details, including the 15-point system that BWF has approved from 2027.

Court boundaries: singles vs. doubles

The court is 13.40 m long. Which lines count depends on the format and on whether you are serving or rallying.

A quick way to remember: singles is "long and narrow," the doubles serve is "short and wide." For every serve, the shuttle must also pass the short service line, 1.98 m from the net.

Badminton serving rules

The serve is where most beginner faults happen. Under the BWF Laws, a correct serve means:

• Diagonal: Serve from your service court into the diagonally opposite service court.
• Right or left: Serve from the right service court when the server's side has an even score, and from the left when it is odd.
• Feet on the floor: Both the server and receiver must have part of both feet in contact with the floor, in a stationary position, from the start of the serve until it is delivered. Neither may touch the boundary lines of their service court.
• Below 1.15 m: The whole shuttle must be below 1.15 m from the court surface at the moment it is hit. (This fixed height replaced the old "below the waist" rule in international play; some casual groups still use the waist as a rule of thumb.)
• Hit the base first: The racket must first contact the base (cork) of the shuttle.
• One continuous forward motion: Once the serve starts, the racket head must keep moving forward. No feints or stops.
• No undue delay: Once both players are ready, the server must not hold up the serve.

The receiver must not move before the serve is hit. If the server misses the shuttle entirely when trying to serve, it is a fault.

Common faults in badminton

You lose the rally if you commit a fault. The main ones are:

1. Shuttle lands out, or fails to pass over the net.
2. Shuttle passes through or under the net.
3. Shuttle touches you (your body or clothing) or the ceiling or walls.
4. Hitting twice: the same player hits the shuttle twice in succession, or both partners hit it one after the other.
5. Carrying or slinging: the shuttle is caught and held on the racket and then slung.
6. Touching the net or its supports with your racket, body or clothing while the shuttle is in play.
7. Reaching over: hitting the shuttle before it crosses the net to your side. (A follow-through over the net is allowed if contact was made on your side.)
8. Invading under the net in a way that obstructs or distracts your opponent.
9. Obstructing an opponent's legitimate stroke, or deliberately distracting them by shouting or gestures.

Lets: when to replay the point

A let stops play and the rally is replayed with no change in score. Common lets include:

• The server serves before the receiver is ready.
• Both server and receiver fault at the same time during the serve.
• The shuttle gets caught on the net and stays there, or goes over and gets caught on the net (except during the serve).
• The shuttle disintegrates and the base separates from the rest.
• An unexpected or accidental disruption occurs, such as a shuttle from a neighboring court landing on yours.
• A line judge is unsighted and the umpire can't make a decision.

In recreational play, a let for a shuttle from another court is the one you will use most.

Ends, intervals and continuous play

Under the current BWF Laws:

• Players change ends after each game, and in the third game when the leading side first reaches 11 points.
• There is an interval of up to 60 seconds when the leading score reaches 11 in each game, and up to 120 seconds between games.
• Play is otherwise continuous; players should not leave the court without permission in officiated matches.

Under the 3×15 system that takes effect on January 4, 2027, the mid-game interval and the third-game change of ends move to 8 points. Club and casual play can follow whichever format the organizer chooses.

Doubles-specific rules

Doubles adds a few extra rules about who serves and who receives. In short: only the receiver may return the serve, and players don't swap service courts unless their side wins a point while serving. We cover this fully in badminton doubles rules and strategy.

Playing by the rules in casual games

Most recreational games have no umpire, so players agree on the rules beforehand. Before you start, it helps to agree:

• Game length (21 points, or a shorter 11 or 15 for quick rotation).
• Whether to replay disputed line calls.
• How strictly to apply the serve height rule.

If you want an impartial record of the score, use Kèo's free scorekeeper. It tracks the score, the serving side and ends according to the rules you choose.

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